48354 - STORIA E TECNICA DELLA FOTOGRAFIA -

Learning outcomes

The course aims to provide a basic knowledge of the history of photography as a cultural practice and as a tool for the documentation and study of cultural heritage. The course includes a historical part related to the evolution of techniques, languages and social uses of photography from the origins to the end of the twentieth century. There also will be a practical part, related to the knowledge of the evolutionary phases of photographic documentation of cultural heritage from the 19th century to today, to current legislation, to cataloguing techniques and related methodologies. This part of the course is expected to take place through laboratory exercises. At the end of the course the student will be able to know the evolutionary lines of the history of photography; he will have acquired a basic knowledge of techniques and methodologies for the conservation, the cataloguing and the management of the historical photographic heritage, as well as the uses of photography for the documentation of cultural heritage

Course contents

The first part of the course will deal with the birth of photography; starting from the question of the origins and the relationships with the pre-photographic techniques of image reproduction, particular attention will be given to the materials, techniques and languages of photography.

Later the main Italian and international photographers and the main movements, will be faced the role of photography in the history of contemporary culture, treating first briefly the theoretical critical debate on photography, then relations and plots with a series of cultural and scientific spheres, its applications and derivations, its growing development and the changes that have occurred over time in its function and presence in the social and cultural context, especially in Europe and North America.

The second part of the course will be dedicated to issues relating to the conservation, cataloging and enhancement of the photographic and audiovisual heritage. It will bel presented national photographic cataloging standards developed by the Central Institute of Catalog and Document (ICCD): Scheda F (1999) and Scheda FF (2014) with related examples and exercises. It will also presented case studies relating to the enhancement, digitization and Public History of the most important photographic collections at Italian and international level.

Readings/Bibliography

Basic bibliography for the exam (see verification methods for the choice of texts).

A) One of the following manuals, to be chosen:

J.C. Lemagny, A. Rouillé, Storia della fotografia, Firenze. Sansoni, 1989;

I. Zannier Storia e tecnica della fotografia, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 1984;

B) Works on the theory and methodology of photography and audiovisuals:

W. Benjamin, L'opera d'arte nell'epoca della sua riproducibilità tecnica,Torino, Einaudi, 1974 (capp. I e II), abbinato a Claudio Marra, Dalla fotografia al cinema: l’asse Kandinkskij/Kracauer e Dal cinema alla fotografia: l’asse Pirandello/Sander in Idem, Fotografia e arti visive, Roma, Carocci, 2014, pp. 57-62 e pp. 79-95.

R. Barthes, La camera chiara, Torino, Einaudi, 1981; abbinato a Claudio Marra, Dalla fotografia al cinema: l’asse Kandinkskij/Kracauer e Dal cinema alla fotografia: l’asse Pirandello/Sander in Idem, Fotografia e arti visive, Roma, Carocci, 2014, pp. 57-62 e pp. 79-95.

S. Sontag, Sulla fotografia. Realtà e immagine nella nostra società, Torino, Einaudi, 1978; abbinato a Claudio Marra, Dalla fotografia al cinema: l’asse Kandinkskij/Kracauer e Dal cinema alla fotografia: l’asse Pirandello/Sander in Idem, Fotografia e arti visive, Roma, Carocci, 2014, pp. 57-62 e pp. 79-95.

G. Freund, Fotografia e, società: riflessione teorica ed esperienza pratica di'una allievo di Adorno, Torino, Einaudi, 1976; abbinato a Claudio Marra, Dalla fotografia al cinema: l’asse Kandinkskij/Kracauer e Dal cinema alla fotografia: l’asse Pirandello/Sander in Idem, Fotografia e arti visive, Roma, Carocci, 2014, pp. 57-62 e pp. 79-95.

R. Krauss, Teoria e storia della fotografia, Milano, Bruno Mondadori, 1996; abbinato a Claudio Marra, Dalla fotografia al cinema: l’asse Kandinkskij/Kracauer e Dal cinema alla fotografia: l’asse Pirandello/Sander in Idem, Fotografia e arti visive, Roma, Carocci, 2014, pp. 57-62 e pp. 79-95.

C) Works on the preservation and cataloging of photography and audiovisuals

- Fotografia e Public History. Patrimonio Storico e Comunicazione Digitale, a cura di R. Biscioni, Firenze, Pacini, 2017;

- Fotografia e Public Hisotry, numero monografico di «rsf. Rivista di studi di fotografia. Journal of Studies in Photography», n.5/2017, in particolare i saggi: A. MIGNEMI, Un cammino accidentato: fonti documentali, fotografie e scrittura nella pratica della Public History, pp. 8-29; M. SCANAGATTA Public History e diffusione sociale della storia: la fotografia come fonte privilegiata, pp. 30-51; F. FAETA, Public History, antropologia, fotografia. Immagini e uso pubblico della storia, pp. 52-63; G. FIORENTINO, Public History e fotografia: una sfida complessa, pp.64-81.

- Gli archivi fotografici personali nell’era digitale: memorie private e Public History, a cura di S. Allegrezza e R. Biscioni, Torre del Lago Puccini (LU), Civita Editoriale, 2021.

- I. Zannier, D. Tartaglia, La fotografia in archivio, Milano, Sansoni, 2000;

- S. Berselli, L. Gasparini, L'archivio fotografico. Manuale per la conservazione e la gestione della fotografia antica e moderna, Bologna, Zanichelli, 2000.

D) Only for non-attending students:

David Bate, La fotografia d'arte, Torino, Einaudi, 2018.

Teaching methods

The teaching methodology includes a series of lectures and an exercise on national and international photographic collections for a historical study and a technical / practical application of digital cataloging, digitization and Public History of photographic material.

Assessment methods

For attending students:

The verification will take place through:

a) the preparation and discussion of an original project (paper) based on an exercise on the main photographic collections to be held in the second part of the course. This project, to be presented and discussed in the classroom during the second part of the course, or directly during the final examination, will be given a grade that will average with the final grade on the day of the exam.

b) a final oral examination relating to the institutional and monographic part of the course, consisting of at least three questions on authors, movements or events in the history of photography based on one of the manuals among those indicated in point A) of the basic bibliography, and from a discussion on the theoretical and methodological texts chosen from those indicated in part B) and C) which highlights the essential issues addressed in the volumes.

The exam score is the average of the scores obtained in the individual project and the final oral examination.

For non-attending students:


The exam will be taken through an oral examination, through the preparation of the following texts:

A manual chosen from those proposed in section A) of the basic bibliography;

A group of works chosen from among those indicated by the teacher in reference to point B) (theoretical and methodological works);

A work chosen from section C) to replace the practical exercise and the individual project;

The volume indicated in point D) of the basic bibliography.

The candidate must be able to correctly frame the languages, protagonists and events of the history of photography in their historical context. For the part relating to monographic work, it is required to be able to highlight the essential issues addressed in the volumes and the main theoretical and methodological issues emerge from the reading.

For all students the final evaluation following indications of Alma Mater's guidelines:


- insufficient grade: lack of basic knowledge and inability to produce a correct interpretation of the texts and / or problems -


- sufficient grade: possession of basic knowledge; mainly correct interpretation, but conducted with imprecision and little autonomy.


- good grade: possession of intermediate level knowledge; fully correct interpretation, but not always precise and autonomous.


- excellent grade: possession of high level knowledge; interpretation of problems not only correct but conducted with autonomy and precision. Excellent oral expression skills.

Only for the students attending the course, there will be the possibility of writing an essay. The method will be explained during the first lesson of the course.

Teaching tools

The course aims to give to the student a basic education on the main stages of the history of photography and audiovisuals, on historiographical currents, on the methodologies, sources and themes that have recently emerged in the research work and in the discussion within the discipline, but also on the treatment for the purpose of preserving and enhancing the audiovisual materials.

For this reason, in addition to the lectures, the student will be provided with digital tools such as power points and the possibility of accessing the computer lab (computer room on the mezzanine floor) where they can use scanners and PCs.

Office hours

See the website of Raffaella Biscioni